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RAJYA SABHA
Some Central Ministries/Departments/Institutes are supporting various research programmes for the improvements, cultivation and harvest of suitable flowers, medicinal plants for scent and medicinal use and development of drugs in the country including in Uttaranchal and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow- a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has established two field stations for research purpose in the state of Uttaranchal, one near Pantnagar in District – Udhamsingh Nagar and the other near Garur Baijnath in District – Bageshwar. These centers have been carrying out research on improvement and utilization of medicinal and aromatic plants in the region alongwith imparting training to the farmers on cultivation of improved varieties of medicinal and aromatic plants.
For the supporting various research programmes for conservation of herbs/roots, flowers of medicinal importance in Jammu and Kashmir State. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research through one of its institutes i.e Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) in Jammu which has a branch in Srinagar (J&K), is involved in the conservation of some important and endangered species of medicinal plants/parts.
The Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has commissioned a pilot project entitled “Technology dissemination, commercialization and utilization of geranium cultivation through processing and value addition of end products in Uttaranchal at bio-village level” through CIMAP, Lucknow. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has supported a project on field demostration of improved agrotechnology including processing of Damask rose and pyrethrum in Uttaranchal state. A project on conservation and propagation of orchids of medicinal importance has also been supported at the High Altitude Plant Physiology Research Centre, Srinagar – Garhwal. Two more DBT-sponsored projects, on the genetic diversity and large scale propagation methods of two medicinal plants (Aconitum and Rheum complex) and on the in vitro propagation of four endemic medicinal species of Himalayas has been recently completed at High Altitude Plant Physiology Research Centre, Srinagar – Garhwal and the G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Almora, respectively.
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has established a gene bank for conservation of medicinal plants of western Himalayan Region including that of Jammu and Kashmir at Regional Research Laboratory (RRL), Jammu. Field gene banks have been established at Jammu (Sub-tropical), Bonera (temperate) and Leh (cold-arid) regions for conservation of the genetic resources of medicinal plants of Western Himalayas. A seed bank and in vitro bank has also been developed. One more DBT-sponsored project on conservation and multiplication of engangered medicinal plant diversity of Kashmir Himalayas has been recently completed at Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Shalimar-Srinagar. Another DBT-sponsored project is being implemented by Kashmir University, Srinagar on collection and conservation of important medicinal plants of Jammu and Kashmir region.
Beside this a number of agencies are supporting various research programmes towards development of new drugs and molecules from important medicinal plants. These include Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR); Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR); Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopath, Unani, Siddha & Homeopathy (AYUSH); Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO); Department of Science & Technology (DST) and Department of Biotechnology (DBT). Under the programmes supported by CSIR, two herbal formulations have developed as hepatoprotective agents. Other developments include Dilex-C (licensed to M/s Unichem Laboratories, Mumbai) which dialates cervix for medical termination of pregnancy; CONSOAP – contraceptive cream (licensed to M/s Hindustan Latex Limited, Thiruvananthapuram); Arteether – antimalarial drug (licensed to M/s Themis Medicare, Mumbai as E-mal); Picroliv – hepatroprotective drug (licenced to M/s Duphar Interfron, Mumbai) and a memory enhancer (licensed to M/s Lumen Marketing Company, Chennai). The ICMR is presently engaged in development of drug from Vijaysar and compounds from Jamun for diabetes. Under a project supported by DST, a novel oligospirostanoside having potential immunomodulatory activity has been developed from Shatavari. Under the projects supported by DBT, various potential therapeutic agents have been developed from important medicinal plants. These include an immunomodualatory agent (berberin) from Daruharida; a novel peptide from Bitter gourd (Kerala), having hypoglycemic activity, a phenolic glycoside from Neem bark having potential activity against hyperacidity and gastric ulceration; anti-cancer agents from bel, Nirgandi and Lal-bhuin anvalah. Some of these lead agents have been further taken up for converting into drugs. Some Indian Pharma companies have also developed new molecules from Reetha and Satyanasi for migraine and psoriasis respectively which have been cleared for Phase-I clinical trials.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Science & Technology and Ocean Development Shri Kapil Sibal in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
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